Marketplace courtesy

[smle-man]

I know this has been brought up before but here we go again: can we have some common courtesy on the marketplace please? The guy who PM a "I'll take it" only to back out because he decided to buy someone else's gun on the FS forum; the guy who PMs that they would like 20 pictures of the item because they are really, really interested in it but don't have the good manners to PM back that it isn't what they wanted and the other guys who PM with lists of questions but again can't be bothered to PM back and say it isn't what they're looking for. The guy who shows up at the PPT location to do the transfer and starts negotiating on the price again. Come on folks, let's have some courtesy for each other. I at least think it would be polite to respond back with a 'no thanks' after having the seller jump through hoops to take pictures and research information on the item and to understand that the price agreed to on line is the price to be paid when doing the PPT.

This list of annoying people is offset by the much larger group of fantastic Calgunners that I have met over the years doing PPTs and the like. A great bunch of men and women who all have enthusiasm for the shooting sports and are nice folks too.

[mag360]

I agree., the problem is that most people on forums are often the biggest tightwads! I just wish I could post things like "that sig your asking $875 for used is brand new shipped from buds for $775."

[Briancnelson]

The problem with these threads is that you've mistaken people with no courtesy for people who care what you think about them.

If they were people who were inclined to respond to this kind of appeal, they would not have caused you the problems they did, generally speaking.

You may be wasting your time.

[zinfull]

PMing for pictures and finding out that what they advertised is not what the pictures show does not require a reply PM. I am pretty sure they would not like what you tell them.

jerry

[a1c]

Well, if you don't want people to PM for pictures, just post the pictures in the ad. Photobucket accounts are free.

[NotEnoughGuns]

How about posting the first only to have the gun sold out from under you.

[bruceflinch]

Good Points Smle!
I think if the Seller cannot even have the courtesy to follow the Forum Rules & post their location in the title, then their ad should just be deleted.

[djleisure]

In general, people are selfish and lazy and that's not gonna change.

[Yemff]

I can understand negotiating further in person; a lot of people don't list the condition of their items correctly, as well as post very poor pictures

[Capt_Communist]

All are great points, but the ones that annoy the crap out of me are the super low ball offers which are insulting. The fact that we are assuming that everyone will be nice and play by the rules, and are completely disappointed shows where we are as a society

End of Rant

[DaveFJ80]

Take good pictures to begin with. If you know the gun is going to sell (hot item or low price) and they want more pics on top of that, then they're most likely on the fence whether they want to buy your gun or not and will probably just stall.

If you don't hear back from a buyer, send a message and put a time stipulation on it, especially if you have a hot item or a good price with lots of PM's pouring in. Tell the person they have a certain amount of time to respond. Be somewhat fair with your time frame, as 2 hours to respond may not work for some people. But by the next morning should. I've had to do this to be fair and would just move onto the next person if I didn't hear back (which I would actually never hear back anyways). I don't have time to play any games. I'm fair with the 1st come 1st serve rule, but don't leave me hanging when I've also provided you with additional means to contact me during our initial talks.

As for the buyer asking for a cheaper price during the PPT, I don't mind if they ask me once and I say no (for all you know, the seller might be cool and take $20 less, like $900 even instead of $920). But if they keep on asking for a lower price and it becomes an issue, then I'll just walk out on the PPT and give them negative feedback for wasting my time and not meeting on the agreed terms (which I've had to do once).


Buying & selling is a game. You just need to know how to play it, and how to set your own rules so you don't drive yourself crazy over it.

[a1c]

All are great points, but the ones that annoy the crap out of me are the super low ball offers which are insulting. The fact that we are assuming that everyone will be nice and play by the rules, and are completely disappointed shows where we are as a society

End of Rant

Usually, an all-caps "FIRM - NO LOW BALL OFFERS" mention will keep the low-ballers away.

While there are plenty of low-ballers, I find it just as annoying when people list items and ask way too much for them. Plenty of ARs or AR uppers are listed in the Marketplace asking for a lot of money, probably because they were bought a few years back during the stupid paranoid craze that drove up the price of those items. Some sellers just don't want to sell for less than they paid, and will need a reality check. No biggie.

In the end, the Marketplace has rules, but low-ball offers are not against them. Sellers can easily ignore low-ball offers, and even block those users should they feel truly insulted.

The real offenders are those who don't stick to their "I'll take it" posts, or the seller who misrepresent an item.

Then there are other annoying practices - not posting a location, not being clear about accepted methods of payment or shipping costs and conditions, etc. - but those are minor and are usually eventually corrected.

My pet peeve are sellers who don't put much effort into their ad, and who don't understand that good pics are the most important part of their ads. Seems like some people don't put any effort into it, and then wonder why their ad is not getting any hits.

[paul0660]

All are great points, but the ones that annoy the crap out of me are the super low ball offers which are insulting. The fact that we are assuming that everyone will be nice and play by the rules, and are completely disappointed shows where we are as a society

End of Rant

I don't understand your irritation. Just say no, or nothing.

[morfeeis]

In general, people are selfish and lazy and that's not gonna change.

/thread

Most folks only want what they want and could care less about the seller.

[Fishslayer]

Well, if you don't want people to PM for pictures, just post the pictures in the ad. Photobucket accounts are free.

Well now that's just crazy talk right there. Why would anybody want to see PICTURES of something they're interested in buying? You're just being a troll.

[/Facetious humor]

How about posting the first only to have the gun sold out from under you.

Been there done that. Apparently it's not against the rules on the CalGuns auction WTS board.